Enough Celebrating: UConn Hockey Faces No. 5 BU Saturday

STORRS – The bus leaves campus at 3 p.m. Saturday. The UConn hockey team will be heading to Boston University, where the buzz created by Wednesday's upset of Boston College will be met by the firepower of Jack Eichel and the fifth-ranked Terriers, among the most dynamic opponents on an unforgiving Hockey East schedule.

This is the world UConn lives in now. These are the challenges the Huskies must embrace. There isn't time for patting one's self on the back. The task for coach Mike Cavanaugh and captain Ryan Tyson, as well as alternate captains Patrick Kirtland and Trevor Gerling, has been to make sure every player understands that.

"I think we're going to respond well," Cavanaugh said. "We have really special leadership. I really do believe they will keep our team humble. You always take on the personality of your leaders. Those guys work so hard that it becomes part of the team's DNA. If you can consistently give that type of effort, you're going to be in a lot of games."

Just like BC has one of the nation's best players in Noah Hanafin, BU has one in Eichel, a freshman forward from North Chelmsford, Mass., who, like Hanafin, is expected to be among the top picks in the NHL draft. Eichel scored a goal in the Terriers' 5-3 victory Friday at BC – "The Battle of Comm Ave" — and has a team-high 10 points for BU, which is 5-1 and has outscored opponents, 22-8.

"Offensively, they might be the most talented team in Hockey East — the scariest, for sure," Cavanaugh said. "If you turn a puck over, you're going to be in trouble."

Faceoff is at 7 p.m. at Agganis Arena, where UConn and BU met for the first time last season, then a nonconference game. BU won, 4-1.

A Boston College man, the governor of our state, made this night happen. A former Boston College coach defeated his mentor, a man he called the John Wooden and Bear Bryant of his sport, in a night that jumped for hockey like it hadn't in a long, long time at the XL Center.

And a former Boston College...

With Wednesday's 1-0 victory over the third-ranked Eagles, UConn followed script for a season that hasn't featured much scoring – both for and against – and managed to flip the result. The Huskies (2-4-2, 1-2 Hockey East) have just 13 goals, but six of their eight games have either been tied or decided by one. The Huskies are allowing an average of just 2.25 goals, and that includes a 7-1 loss to Penn State Oct. 11.

Significant strides have been made since then. To illustrate that point, Cavanaugh showed his team just one clip from the BC game, the final two minutes. UConn's execution was vastly better in closing out BC than it was the Huskies allowed tying goals to Penn State (Oct. 10) and Merrimack (Oct. 18) in the final minute.

Of the defense, Poe said, "It's pretty collective, but obviously [goalie] Rob Nichols has been great. He's faced a lot of shots but we do our best to keep them from the outside and [limit] second-chance shots."

UConn is 30-for-34 on penalty kills, but just 2-for-25 on the power play. At even strength, the Huskies continue to create more chances but have been held to two or fewer goals in seven of eight games. Gerling, who shares the team lead with two goals, might have been the best overall UConn player Wednesday but was twice stoned on the doorstep by Thatcher Demko.

"The only one that counts is the next one," Gerling said. "I've been working on goal-scoring this week so we'll see how it works out Saturday. I think we're just waiting for a night to break out, offensively. The plays are there, each and every game we're possessing the puck more, the lines are solidifying and we're getting comfortable.”

Players like Eichel have a way of creating discomfort. UConn wants to focus on its own approach and system but must be aware when Eichel (four goals, five assists) is on the ice. He skates at center on the top line with junior Danny O'Regan (seven points) on the right and junior Ahti Oksanen (five points) on the left.

Evan Rodrigues had two goals Friday for the Terriers, who trailed three times Friday but tied it at 3-3 on Eichel's goal, a redirection on a shot from the point, with 7:45 remaining. Rodriguez scored the go-ahead goal 2:01 later, giving BU its first lead on a goal he banked in off goalie Thatcher Demko from behind the net.

Oksanen was injured in the first period Friday and his status is unclear for the UConn game. The Huskies are unlikely to make drastic changes to their lineup beyond Cody Sharib making his return. Sharib, a senior, injured a shoulder in the opening game against Penn State last month and was just cleared to play Tuesday. He will probably play left wing on a line.

“Sometimes the goal is to keep a line or a player off the score sheet,” Gerling said. “It's important to make sure you're finishing checks and playing really smart hockey against some of those top players. … We’re looking forward to our next opportunity to play a ranked opponent. Obviously the BC game was huge, but the challenge is playing the same style of game, bringing the same effort, into Saturday night.”